Lewis-McChord will not host unaccompanied minors

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SEATTLE (AP) - Congressman Denny Heck says Joint Base Lewis-McChord will not house unaccompanied immigrant children who crossed into the United States from the southern border.

Heck says the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is no longer seeking temporary shelters for the children coming into the U.S. from Central America.

About 57,000 minors, mostly from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, crossed into the U.S. since October. More than 30,000 have been released to sponsors throughout the country, including 211 in Washington state.

In a letter sent to community leaders, the department says that while the situation is fluid, officials think placing children in temporary shelters would be more costly than using existing facilities that have been recently expanded. The letter says the number of children crossing at the border has dropped since July. The department adds that releasing children to sponsors has alleviated the need for shelters.

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